


Cold Hearts

by AntieB



Category: RWBY
Genre: Drama, Drama & Romance, F/F, Fluff, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I just started typing, Romance, Then this thing happened
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-31 12:31:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8578639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AntieB/pseuds/AntieB
Summary: The years have flown by and we've grown together as a team. Our trials were many, but we pulled together and came out stronger for it. It's our final year at Beacon and I'm so close to realizing my dream! So why am I beginning to feel so lonely?





	

“But Weiss, you promised!” I exclaim throwing in a pout for good measure. If I am to be completely honest I’m more than a little irritated with my partner. The Remnant Weapons and Technology Expo was this weekend and after much pleading and convincing, Weiss had agreed to go with me.

 

“I’m sorry Ruby, but tonight is the only time Neptune and I are able to spend some time together.” she explains in exasperation. I can’t help but roll my eyes at the mention of her boyfriend, suppressing a brief spark of anger. “Don’t you roll you eyes at me Ruby Rose!” Weiss scolds me, her tone taking on an irritated edge.

 

I huff at her and hop down from my bed “Yeah well when was the last time you and I spent time together?” She opens her mouth to reply but I quickly cut her off “And no class, training, and studying don’t count. Those are partner activities. Do you know how long it’s been since we did fun friend stuff?”

 

She scowled at me in response “Look I’m sorry I have to cancel our plans Ruby, but at least we do get to do all those things together. Neptune and I rarely get to even see each other. I promise you and I will do something next time.”

 

Anger once again ignites within me “That’s what you said last week! And the week before that! How many promises are you going to break to spend time with your precious boyfriend?”

 

Weiss narrows her eyes in an icy glare “You’re eighteen now Ruby, you can’t just pout whenever you don’t get your way. You’re not a child anymore so stop acting like one.” She angrily throws on her coat and checks her makeup one last time “Now if you’ll excuse me, your little tantrum has put me behind schedule.” she says as she walks out of our dorm, slamming the door behind her.

 

“I hope you have a terrible time!” I yell at the door in frustration, blinking away the tears threatening to spill forth. Ugh she can be so infuriating! I quickly type out a message to Yang to see if she might want to go with me.

 

_Sorry sis, Blake and I have plans tonight. In fact I’d suggest you come home late tonight ;D_

 

I groan at what she’s insinuating. _Ok you two have fun. Thanks for the heads up._

 

I shove my scroll in my pocket and decide to just go ahead and go by myself. Grabbing Crescent Rose, I head for the door only to stop when I grab the knob. I take a second to look at what I’m wearing and a frown tugs at my lips. Old jeans and my favorite hoodie. Certainly a comfortable outfit but maybe… I glance over my shoulder to the dresser with my clothes. Why the hell not. Releasing a deep sigh I trudge over to my dresser and pull out a pair of black boot cut slacks and a crimson button down blouse with a rather low cut neckline. I remember buying these on a whim and then never really having an occasion to wear them. Shrugging to myself I step out of my converse and jeans and into my nicer pants. They fit rather snuggly but comfortably around my hips and thighs. Next I pull off my hoodie and t-shirt and throw on a black tank top and the blouse. Figuring my boots would match my outfit better than my converse, I step into them and lace them up nice and tight before stepping into the bathroom to take in my appearance.

 

Deciding to run a brush through my hair while I’m here, my catches my partner’s makeup kit sitting on the counter. I’ve watched Weiss do it often enough. Maybe I should give it a shot? Might as well go all out right?

A bit of eye liner her, a little mascara there, and a touch of eyeshadow later I took a step back to appreciate my hard work.

 

Wow. I really can’t help but smile. I look good! More mature. I softly chuckle. Child my ass. Feeling my irritation slipping away and being replaced by a calm confidence is a very powerful feeling and I promise myself to do this more often. Maybe not go to the extremes that Weiss did, but _this_? This feels good. I can certainly spare a few more minutes on my appearance.

 

Stepping out of the bathroom, I grab one of my nicer belts, fasten it around my waste, and clip Crescent Rose in place. Excitement floods through me as I step out the door, a confident smirk on my lips. Who needs them anyway. I’ll have a blast without them! I quickly make my way to the docks and barely tap into my semblance’s speed to make it on one of the departing Vale transports in time. A gust of wind and rose petals follows me in causing the other passengers to look my way.

 

“Ruby!? Is that you?” I look towards direction of the voice to see Yang and Blake making their way over to me and a sudden bout of nervousness bubbles up in my stomach.

 

“H-Hey sis! Hey Blake!” I give them a small wave.

 

Yang is looking me up and down with her mouth agape whereas Blake simply gives me a warm smile and a knowing look.

 

Sis is the first to speak though her words could hardly be considered coherent “What are… When did… Is that… I though you were…?”

 

Blake chuckles softly and bumps her with her hip “I think what she’s trying to say is you look lovely Ruby.”

 

Heat fills my cheeks in what is no doubt a very obvious blush. Damn it where has all that confidence gone?? “T-Thanks Blake”

 

Yang coughs and shakes herself out of her stupor “Right! Yes! You really do look great Rubes! What’s the occasion? I thought you were going to the convention or something?”

 

The nervousness in the pit of my stomach turns to excitement in an instant “Oh I am! Weiss was supposed to go with me but she bailed on me to hang out with Neptune.” I finish losing some of my energy “We got into an argument and she kind of hurt my feelings…”

 

Yang’s eyes slowly become tinted with red as I tell them what happened. “Oh did she now..?” she mutters darkly cracking her knuckles.

 

“Stop it Yang.” I say giving her a playful glare. “I decided that I wouldn’t let it bother me. I figure that I’ll go have fun without her, and maybe meet some cool people I actually have shared interests with.”

 

Blake nodded and smiled “That’s very mature of you Ruby. With that attitude and the extra effort you put into looking nice, I’m sure you’ll be on the receiving end of a lot of attention tonight.” She finished with a wink.

 

“Heh, thanks!” I give her a beaming smile and hug her tightly.

 

“Hey! Hands off lady killer! That’s my girl!” Yang playfully ruffles my hair before wrapping us both in her arms laughing happily.

 

The airship touches down a few seconds later and we make our way to the exit.

 

“You two have fun tonight!” I call after them as they make their way down the sidewalk, Yang’s arm slung around her girlfriend’s shoulders.

 

I smile to my self as I make my way to the Vale Arena. Weiss and I may not be on the best of terms right now but I’m so happy I have Blake and Yang.

In high spirits, I quietly hum to myself and take in the calm afternoon atmosphere. Was Weiss right? Was I really being childish? After all she is right. I do get to see her in class and training after school could technically be considered hanging out I guess. I shake my head in frustration. No I’m definitely not wrong here. That’s not the point. She promised me. Twice! And it’s not like those were the first two times she canceled on me too! No I definitely have a right to be mad.

 

It doesn’t take me long to make it to the Arena where the Expo is being held and my eagerness pushes those thoughts from my mind. I can always worry about that later! I hastily make my way through the crowd, having already received my pass thanks to early registration and step through the entrance.

 

I heave a sad sigh as the Atlesian military finishes their tech demo. While the new airship design is super cool, the new Mk IV’s or, Knights, as they’re calling them are a colossal disappointment.

 

“Pardon me, but what makes you say that?”

 

Crap! I must have been thinking out loud again. I quickly spin around to the voice behind me and the first thing I notice is beautiful snow white hair. “Weiss?” I mutter in disbelief before quickly taking in the rest of her appearance. And honestly? I don’t know how I could have mistaken her for my partner. This woman is with out a doubt the most gorgeous work of art I have ever laid eyes on. Her hair is definitely as pretty as white Weiss’s, but she wore it in a tight bun only letting her bangs remain free. Her beautifully sculpted face hints at aristocracy and her eyes! Dust her eyes! I find myself drowning in her piercing glacial blue gaze. She is wearing an elegant Atlesian formal dress uniform that gives a small peek at bare shoulders and arms. Underneath the flowing white overcoat is a deep blue vest perfectly tailored to fit her generous curves. Snug white dress slack hug her hips and... A small cough from her breaks me free from my thoughts and my face turns scarlet from embarrassment at being caught ogling her.

 

“Ah! Sorry I thought you were my friend for a second there because you have the same hair color but you’re obviously not her because you wear your hair differently and you waaaay taller than she is, probably because of your boots but that’s not like a bad thing or anything and honestly I think being tall is awesome and I mean you’re absolutely gorgeous after all and ohmygodwhatamIevensayingIamgoingtoshutupnow!” I clasp my hands over my mouth and tightly shut my eyes for a few seconds to gather my self control.

 

A quiet chuckle coming from the woman gives me cause too open my eyes. The corner of her mouth is raised ever so slightly as she arches a beautifully sculpted brow “You must be Ruby Rose. My name is Winter. Weiss is my sister, and she has told me a great deal about you.”

 

I smile nervously at her “You’re Winter? Wow! Weiss always spoke very highly of you! I hope she only had good things to say about me?”

 

She merely hums in response and my shoulders slump at her vague response. “Forgive me but I could not help but overhear you saying something about my Knights being, how did you put it, a colossal disappointment?”

 

My shoulders slump even further as I rub my neck in embarrassment “Yeah I think that’s pretty much what I said verbatim.”

 

“If you do not mind, would you care to elaborate?” she asks with genuine curiosity.

 

I perk up at her question “Well yeah of course! Right off the bat I can tell you that the so called ‘upgraded’ targeting software is so vastly inferior to the Mk. III model that I seriously have to question what y’all were thinking!” I roll my eyes just thinking about it! Sometimes the saying ‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ rings true.

“And I’ll admit, the networked intelligence sounds like a good idea for large scale operations with hundreds of units, but unless you’re sitting on some currently unknown server technology, it simply isn’t possible to link that many at once. And honestly once you break it down to a squad level it’s horribly inefficient to rely on that kind of network. What if one unit is disabled? That’s a twenty percent drop in performance for every mech on the squad. That’s insane!” I throw my hands up in disbelief.

“And another thing!” I whirl around and point my finger at her “Who in their right mind thought it’d be a good idea to use a Balk’s gen two hydraulic compression motor for shoulder joints? A well placed shot or strike and the damn thing’s arms will fall off _at best_! And don’t even get me started on the optics. Honestly! I could go on and on! If it were up to me I’d scrap the entire design and just start over from phase one because that abomination should never have seen the light of day let alone represent Atlas at the largest tech expo in all of Remnant. It’s obvious that different aspects of the Mk. IV were contracted out to the lowest bidders and you just sloppily glued the different parts together and hoped they worked. Usually I can always rely on Atlas to blow me away but I’m just so disappointed this year!

 

Throughout my little rant Winter’s expression shifted from neutral to stunned anger to elated excitement. towards the end. “Well Ruby, it is clear to me you are quite knowledgeable in this subject matter, and have more than a few ideas on how to improve what is quite honestly an embarrassing disaster”

 

I stop my nervous pacing and smile brightly at her “Yep! Fighting Grimm and helping people is what I’m most passionate about but weapons and technology are definitely a close second!” I take my weapon from my back and fully unfurl what I consider to be one of my greatest achievements to show off a little bit for Winter “Take my Crescent Rose for example! I designed and built her when I was thirteen! And I haven’t stopped making little improvements to her here and there over the years. Ooh like just last week I was finally able to upgrade her frame from reinforce steel to a Dust infused carbon fiber titanium weave. I was able to shave _pounds_ off!

 

Winter’s smile only grows as examines my scythe while I gush about how awesome my Crescent Rose is She looks me in the eye for a moment before placing a finger over my lips shutting me up “Pardon my for one moment please, Ruby”

 

She takes out her scroll and calls someone “Hello Lieutenant, I need you take charge while I step out for a few hours. You may of course contact me if there is an emergency but I would prefer not to be disturbed if at all possible. Yes. No, that will be all. Thank you.” She places her scroll in her pocket and faces me once more with an alluring smile on her lips. “I must admit I find myself fascinated with you and your opinions on a subject I too am quite passionate about. Would you care to discuss this more over dinner, Ruby? It would please me to no end.”

 

I stare ate her in disbelief for a brief moment “You mean you’re actually interested in what I have to say?” my cheeks heat up and I feel bashful for some reason I can’t quite put my finger on “Y-Yeah of course! I’d really like to hear your opinions too! You seem super smart so I bet you know a ton. Ooh and you gotta tell me about your weapon too! It looks sooo cool.”

 

Winter carried the faintest of blushes as she spoke and gestured towards the exit “Wonderful! Let us waste no time and be on our way then.”

 

 

If I am to be perfectly honest, I did not expect to enjoy my time with Ruby as much as I am currently. Yes I certainly would not have invited the young huntress in training to dinner if I thought I would not enjoy her company, but Ruby is so shockingly intelligent! Her comprehension of electrical and mechanical engineering is truly astonishing, and her grasp on Dust/Energy conversion theory is on par with the brightest minds in all of Remnant. There is no doubt in my mind that I could relieve the entire Corpse of Engineers and simply have Ruby take over in their stead. I would also doubtlessly see significantly superior results. In regards to the new Mk. IV Knights, for example, every flaw the brunette lamented, every exploit she effortlessly exposed, and every solution provided was infuriatingly valid and accurate. It is an embarrassment to to the Atlesian military!

The way Weiss described her leader in her messages hinted of girl with a lot of potential, but lacking the drive and motivation to be anything more than average. However if Ruby demonstrates half the passion and drive towards being a huntress as she does engineering, then she is destined to be a truly formidable warrior.

I simply cannot help but admire the young girl sitting across from me. Her table manners leave something to be desired, but I am willing to overlook such small grievances. Her words are clumsy but she speaks honestly and with sincerity which is more than I can say about the majority of people I have had the pleasure of knowing. And… I like her compliments.

Far too often I am subjected to commentary on my beauty, my figure, and my occasionally my voice. All things that I was born with and have very little control over. Ruby, however, has not commented on my appearance once sans her first bout of nervous rambling when we first met. No, she is genuinely impressed with how quickly I rose through the ranks to Specialist. She is awed by my skills and accomplishments as a warrior. She is overjoyed to discuss the science and physics of military technology. She is a truly remarkable young woman. I find my self letting go just a little bit. I feel as though I don’t need to hide my smile, or maintain a perfect posture. For the first time in a very _long_ while, I feel peaceful and relaxed. I don’t feel the constant pressure to be perfect. I don’t feel the weight of my father’s expectations bearing down on my shoulders. I feel so light. Who knew one meal with one girl could alleviate years of tension. I let myself actually laugh out loud as Ruby struggles to dunk a _cookie_ in a glass of _milk_ that is far too small. It is ludicrous and adorable and I love it.

 

Ruby puffs out her cheeks and pouts at me “You’re laughing at me!”

 

Reigning in my mirth I shoot her a cheeky smile as I reach over and grab her dessert “Indeed I am, Ruby. May I propose a solution to your current conundrum?” I ask before breaking the cookie in half.

 

She crosses her arms over her chest and levels a playful glare at me “Oh sure, break it in half. I could have thought of that!”

 

I arch an eyebrow and smile smugly at her “Alas you did not. Therefore I felt it was my duty to enlighten you through demonstration. Otherwise I fear we would have been here all night.”

 

She sticks her tongue out at me and winks “Oh har har! How very gracious of you!” Giggling cutely, she takes both halves of the the cookie, dunking each in the milk before offering one to me “Here, it’s only fair that I share because clearly I would have starved without your help.”

 

Her playful gesture and the smile she gives me makes my heart race, and I simply do not have it in me to tell her I detest sweets. Laughing once more I take her gift and take a small nibble.

 

“You have a wonderful laugh, Winter.” Ruby quietly mumbles. She is blushing furiously and I find myself caught off guard again.

 

My heart rate quickens once more and there is nothing I can do to stop myself from blushing as well. Though, honestly, do I even want to? “T-Thank you, Ruby. I haven’t had such an enjoyable evening in quite a long time.” I give her a genuine heartfelt smile “You’re company has been a real pleasure.”

 

Her face goes scarlet as she sputters out her thanks. “I had a blast too! You’re really amazing Winter!”

Her shoulders slump slightly and her smile fades “All of my friends have coupled off. Ren and Nora, Pyrrah and Jaune, Yang and Blake, and Weiss and Neptune are all in relationships. We’re in our final year at Beacon so we hardly have time to hang out anymore and when we do I’m always the odd one out. They’d always rather spend time with their significant other, which I totally understand! It just gets lonely, you know?” I feel my own smile fading as she speaks her mind “Weiss was supposed to come with me tonight.”

 

“Why couldn’t she make it? Something came up I take it?” I ask

 

Ruby lets out a long sigh as a hint of irritation creeps into her tone “She bailed on me again to spend time with Neptune.”

 

“Again? She’s done this before?” My frown deepens.

 

“Only every weekend since they became ‘serious’!” She shouts as she throws her hands up in the air in frustration. “Sorry, it’s just, she’s my best friend you know? I miss her.” She looks down at her lap and begins playing with her napkin “Weiss says I should be grateful that we get to see each other in class and stuff and I totally am don’t get me wrong I just...I don’t know it feels like I’m losing her.”

 

My frown has turned into a full blown scowl at this point as I make a mental note to call my sister and give her a very stern talking to. “I am so sorry to hear that Ruby. Have you spoken with her about this?”

 

She huffs “No I haven’t really had the chance. She spends all her free time with him.”

 

I am about to respond but my scroll cut me off. I am suddenly aware of how much time has passed and inwardly curse myself as I pull the device from my pocket. I give Ruby an apologetic glance before answering “Schnee Speaking”

 

“ _Forgive me Ma’am I know you wished to be undisturbed but we have a bit of a… situation”_

 

In an instant all of the pressure and weight of responsibility crashed down on me once more “It is quite alright Lieutenant. Give me a sitrep.”

 

“ _Well a heavily inebriated… gentleman is causing a scene demanding that he absolute must speak with you immediately.”_

 

I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration in a vain attempt to stem the approaching headache “I understand. I will head your way immediately. ETA ten minutes.” 

 

I hang up the phone and give Ruby another apologetic smile “I am so sorry Ruby. It would seem I am needed back at my post.”

 

She stands up and smiles forlornly at me “It’s ok! I understand. I had a really great time with you Winter!”

 

“The feeling is mutual.” is the automatic response. I am already slipping back behind my wall of cold professionalism. And I am already missing the warm light feeling Ruby managed to bring forth. I contemplate for a brief second before deciding “May I have your scroll for a moment please Ruby?” 

 

She tilts her head in confusion while fishing the the pocket of her fitted black slacks. Of course I would wait until now to really take in her appearance. I quickly let my eyes sweep up and down her figure while she is distracted. I must admit I like what I see. I mentally shake myself before I can follow that particular thought process. Taking the offered scroll, smiling slightly at the background image of Ruby and her sister laughing with each other, I quickly add my contact information and hand it back to her.

 

“I have given you the means to reach me should you so desire” I feel my smile grow at her shocked expression “I certainly wouldn’t mind doing this again sometime in the future.” Feeling unusually playful I smile and wink at her “Call me”

 

I quickly make sure the bill is paid and step outside making my way back to the Vale Arena the warm feeling in my chest staying with me the entire way there.

 

 

I knock on the door to my dorm and wait a solid thirty seconds before I dare enter. Yang is lounging in her bunk watching videos on her scroll and I can hear the shower running in the bathroom. “Why is Blake taking a shower so late at night” I ask hesitantly.

 

Yang glances up from her scroll and sheepishly glances towards the bathroom door. “I uh, may have spilled milk all over her?”

 

“How… actually no I don’t think I want to know.” I sigh and sit at our shared desk unlacing my boots. 

 

“You’re back later than I expected actually. I take it you had a good time?” Yang asks putting her scroll away.

 

I feel my face heat up as my thoughts instantly go to dinner with Winter. “Yeah I did” I mumble quietly.

 

“Aww look at you all shy and blushing!” my sis pulls me into a hug and ruffles my hair affectionately “Did you make a _special_ friend?”

 

“S-Something like that.” My blush deepened “She’s an Atlesian Officer! She invited me out to dinner and we talked about the new mechs and weapons and upcoming tech and she’s so smart and oh god Yang she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seenandIhadsomuchfunjustchattingandmakingherlaugh! She said she it was a real pleasure spending time with me and she gavemehernumberandtoldmethatshewatedtogooutagainsometime! “

 

“Whoa, whoa slow down there Rubes!” Yang laughed at my embarrassed excitement 

 

W e both turn to see Blake step out of the bathroom already in her night clothes “That’s wonderful Ruby. You said she gave you her number? Are you going to call her?”

 

“Is that right? My baby sis got a chick’s number?” Yang sniffled and wiped an imaginary tear from her eye “I. Am. So. Proud!”

 

Blake smiles and rolls her eyes “An Officer in the military no less.”

 

I playfully shove Yang towards her girlfriend and glare at both of them “Hush you two! And I thought about sending her a message but do you think it’s too soon? I don’t want to come off as clingy or something.” I look down and nervously play with my hands again “I don’t even know if she’s into me like that! For all I know she just wants a friend to talk about nerdy stuff with...” I trail off as the anxiety gets the better of me.

 

“Well I say you go for it!” Yang says placing an arm around my shoulder. “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy just a simple hello to test the waters and then take it from there. What’s the worst that could happen?”

 

A lot of worst case scenarios come to mind but Blake interrupts my thoughts “I’m with your sister in this one. She wouldn’t have given you her number if she didn’t want you to message her.”

 

They’re right I’m just being an angsty teen. I smile and give Yang a big hug “Thanks sis. You too Blake! I don’t know what I’d do without you guys.”

 

I quickly step into the bathroom to wash the makeup off my face and change. I glance at my scroll sitting on the counter for a second before grabbing it and typing out a quick message to Winter. 

_Hey Winter! It’s Ruby! Just thought I’d let you know I made it back to the dorms safe and sound._

_I really had fun with you today! I hope work wasn’t too stressful for you. Anyway I hope to hear back from you soon!_

 

My finger hovers over the send button for a few seconds before I commit and take the plunge. 

 

I step out of the bathroom having finished my routine and climb up into my bed. I look over to Yang and Blake cuddling together and watching videos on Yang’s scroll in Blake’s bed. For the briefest of moments I let myself imagine that I’m in bed with Winter, snuggling up close to her as she quietly reads through reports. My scroll buzzes shaking me from my fantasy. 

_-Good evening, Ruby. I am happy to know that you made it home alive and in one piece. I truly enjoyed my time with you today as well, and if it is not too forward, I would like for you to visit me again tomorrow. I find that I am more at ease in your presence. If you cannot I understand._

 

I barely stop myself from squealing. I do giggle like an idiot earning an exaggerated ‘Aww!!’ from my sister.

_-Of course I’d love to come see you! I have my routine weight and weapon training in the morning but I’m all yours after noon!_

 

I barely have to wait a minute before I receive a response from her.

_-All mine you say? My, my, aren’t I special. How does a late lunch sound? And perhaps, if you play your cards right, I’ll allow you to take me out for an activity of your choosing._

 

Ohmygod I can’t believe it! Is Winter flirting with me? I think she’s totally flirting with me!

_-Lunch sounds great! And you better believe I’ll knock your socks off!_

I bite my lip nervously before sending one more line

_-I’ll take you on a date you’ll never forget!_

 

I hug my pillow tightly to my chest and roll around under the sheets. I can’t believe I sent that!

My scroll buzzes once more and I’m reading her message in an instant.

_-Oh? Someone sure is confident. I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with. I’ll send you details on where to meet me tomorrow morning. Good night, Ruby._

 

This time there is nothing I can do to stop the squeal of excitement.

- _Night Winter! :)_


End file.
